Dragons take to the water in fun spectacle

The dragon boat final will be closely contested. Photo / CityLife West

It's expected to be a closely fought grand final when 13 dragon boat teams hit the water at the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta. But, for the Auckland Dragon Boat Association, the event is about showcasing the energy, fun and ease of the sport.

"We predict the three top teams this season - Lion Nathan, White Tigers and Fresh-on-the-Boat - will be battling it out at the Viaduct. There will be prizes, but mostly we want people to enjoy seeing the racing," says Auckland Dragon Boat Association chairperson, Alisha Zanetich.

She started paddling in Wellington back in 1998 and was part of the group which launched the Auckland association a couple of years ago to promote the sport.

The association is made up of paddlers and coaches who run training, events and administration in their spare time.

Dragon boating is a variation of rowing that originated in China and is still associated with the traditional Chinese dragon boat festival or Tuen Ng festival in Hong Kong. The length of the races competedvaries form 250m to 2km.

Racing is open to men and women over the age of 12. A dragon boat team consists of a steersperson (sweep), a drummer and 20 paddlers. A squad is a total of 25 - giving the team three reserves.

The whole face of dragon boating as a sport has changed dramatically since Alan Smythe introduced it to Auckland back in the 80s. From 1983 Olympic gold medal canoeists Paul McDonald and Ian Ferguson were running festivals, giving Auckland the longest running dragon boat event in New Zealand and some colourful parades down Queen St.

Ferries now occupy the space where two days of nine-lane races were held after an opening ceremony in the Princess Wharf.

Racing later moved to the Viaduct Harbour but the area became too expensive to use. As the sport moved away from those early days, when it was very corporate-centred, and became more affordable for passionate paddlers, the Westhaven Marina and Lake Pupuke became Auckland paddling locations.

"These days we have family teams, church teams as well as colleagues. Since we've changed from corporate- to club-based there are more and more families and friends in our teams," Zanetich says.

"And it's spread right across New Zealand with clubs now in Wellington, Tauranga, Waikato, Rotorua, Christchurch and Dunedin and smaller towns."

Zanetich says any individual can sign up for dragon boating.

"We have a woman in her 80s who is still competing. Dragon boating is a great social sport and it is easy to learn as nothing too tactical is involved. It's great for general fitness and as a non-contact sport there are not the injury concerns."

And for those companies who still see dragon boating as a superb team-building exercise, the association is now offering a special team-building package.